Locomotive driving box



E-..'W. RAWDON LOCOMOTIVE DRIVING BOX 'F ileid Oct. 6. 1922 v2Sheets-Sheet 1 Edward 14 Fan/dew I Gno e Apr. 24, 1923. 5,452,896 E. w.RAWDON. I LOCOMOTIVE DRIVING BOX Filed Oct. 6, 1922 2 shins-sheet 2 Z'dward Ran/d 01v- Patented Apr. 24, 1923.

EDWARD W. BAWDON, OF AKRON, OHIO.

LOCOMOTIVE DRIVING BOX.

Application'filed October 6, 1922. Serial No. 592,755.

1 0 all whom it may oncern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. RAWDON, a citizen of the United States,residin at Akron, "in the county of Summit and S tate of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive DrivingBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved driving box for locomotives, beingsimilar to the construction shown in my pending application for drivingbox, Serial No. 576,358, filed Ju ly 20, 1922, and seeks, as one of itsprincipal objects, to provide a driving box wherein the box wedge willbe automatically adjusted for taking up undue forward and rear play ofthe box.

The invention has, as a further object, to

provide an adjusting mechanism for the box wedge which will be adapted:to effectively accommodate vertical movement of the box as well aslateral movement thereof so that gardless of uneven track conditions.

And the invention has, as a still further object, to provide anadjusting mechanism employinga ratchet and a plurality of coactingpawls'for adjusting the box wedge, wherein said pawls will be springpressed into engagement with the ratchet so that said pawls willnormally lock the ratchet against retrograde movement, and wherein aconnection between the box and said pawls will be provided, of suchnature, that when the {box shifts forwardly, a straight horizontal pullvwill be exerted on the pawls .regardless of thevertical or lateraldisplacement of the box.

In the accompanying drawings; p

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation showing. my improved driving box incongunction with a conventional pedestal;

.Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary verncal sectional view showing theadjusting mechanism for the box Wedge in elevation; ig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in thedirection of thearrows;

Fig. dis a horizontal the line 4r -4 of Fig. 2,, looking in the.direction of the arrows; 4

Fig. 5v is a detail sectionon the line 5 of Fig. .3, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 sectional view on tionalpedestal 11 having the usual pedestal brace 12. The box body may be ofany preferred construction and is provided with the customary flanges toaccommodate a shoe 13 and wedge 14 cooperating with the legs of thepedestal. J ournaled through the' box body is a drive axle, asconventionally illustrated at 15.

Formed in the wedge 14 at its lower end is a recess 16 and threadedthrough the pedestal brace 12 is a wedge bolt 17 provided at its upperend with a circular head 18 rotatably engaged in said recess. The wedgebolt is provided with oppositely disposed longitudinal grooves 19 andloosely mounted on the bolt to rest upon the pedestal brace 12 is aratchet 20 having oppositely disposed ribs or feathers 21slidablyfitting in said grooves coupling the ratchet with the bolt.Thus, the ratchet may be turned will shift .endw-ise through the ratchetFormed on the ratchet at'its lower end is an annular base flange 22 andbolted or otherwisesecuned to the pedestal brace to over hang saidflange are angle brackets 23 rotatably cormecting the ratchet withsaidbrace.

Mounted upon the pedestal brace 12 adj acent the ratchet 20 is a pawlhousing-25 cut away at one side, as particularly shown in Fig. 3, toaccommodate the ratchet. The housing 25 is arranged to extendlongitudinally of the pedestal brace and is formed of companion sectionson which are formed lugs 26 through which are engaged. Y cap bolts orother suitable fastenings 27 holding the housing sections againstseparation as well as connecting the housing to the pedestal brace.,Forrned on the sections at their forward ends are matingears 28 throughwhich is .engageda bolt 29 .connecting the sections of .the housing witheach other.,' Freely slidable. Within the housi is 'ablock .30 providedat its rear ,endwith spaced cars .31 and pivoted between said ears is aplurality of 'pawls'32. Extending through said ears and through thepawls is nut 46. Threaded throug then Pedestal ing disposed to cooperateat their free ends with the ratchet 20, and secured to theouter edges ofsaid pawls near their free ends are springs 35 which extend forwardlytoward the block 30 and bear at their free ends against the outer sidewall of the housing, holding the pawls in engagement with the ratchet. I

Bolted or otherwise secured at its ends to the rear leg of the box body10 is a depending yoke 36 straddling the forward end of the pawl housing25 and formed in the'sides of said yoke are vertical slots 37. The sidewalls of said housing are provided with similar slots 38 and slidablyfitting through the block 30 to extend through said slots is a squaredcross rod 39 upon the ends of which are threaded nuts 40 securing therod against endwise displacement, suitable washers being preferablyinterposed between said nuts and the sides of the yoke. Thus, the boxbody 10 may shift vertically when the slots 37 will accommodate the vertical'movement of the yoke 36 while, when the box body shifts laterally,said rod will slide through the block 30. It will therefore be seen thatregardless of the position of the box body due to local vertical andlateral movement thereof, the yoke 36 will, when the box body shiftsforwardly, exert a straight longitudinal pull upon the block 30.Accordingly, as soon as any undue forward and rear play of the box bodydevelops through wear, the block will be shifted longitudinally withinthe housing 25 when the pawls 32 will coact with the ratchet 20 forrotating said ratchet and turning the wedge bolt 17 to adjust the wedge14 for taking up such play, At no time will the box body be permitted topound withinthe pedestal since adjustment of the wedge will beaccomplished automatically and, of course, the pawls 32 will, by beingheld in engagement with the ratchet by the springs 35, serve to lock theratchet against retrograde movement and thus maintain the wedge inadjusted position. H

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have illus trated a slight modification ofthe invention wherein a wedge is shown at4l, the rear leg'of a pedestalat 42 and a pedestal brace at 43. In adapting the wedge to the presentimprovements I form therein a vertical'bore 44 near the lower end ofwhich is a recess 45 and removably seated in said recessiis a brace andthrough said nut is a wedgebolt 47 adapted to be freely received in thebore 44. The wedge bolt is providedwith right andleft threads engagingsimilar threads in upon the bolt for elevating the wedge.

Otherwise, this modification is identical with the preferredconstruction and further s description is accordingly believedunnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. Ina journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox bodypmeans interposed between the box body and thebox body withrespect to the pedestal adjustable for taking up forward and rear playof the box body, means for adjusting said first mentioned meansincluding a pawl and ratchet, and an operative connection between thebox body and said pawl adapted to accommodate lateral move ment of thebox body with respect tothe pawl.

3. In a journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox body,- an adjust'able wedge interposed between the box body'a'nd'the pedestal, a wedge bolt rotatable for adjusting the wedge, a ratchetfor rotating said bolt, a slideblock, a pawl'can ried by the block tocoact with said ratchet,

and an operative connection between th b bodyand said block for shiftingthe' block incident. to forward and rear movement of thebox body. j a

" 4. In a' journal box, a box body,ja pedestal o 'aerativelysu'pportingthe box bodyinclud L ll ing a pedestal brace, an adjustable wedgeinter'posed'between the'box body and the pedestal, a wedge boltrotatable for adjusting the wedge,'a"ratchet for rotating said bolt, ahousingmount'edpn thejpedestal brace, a block'slidable in-said housing,fa pawl carried by the block to coact with the ratchet, and an operativeconnectionbetween the box body and said block for shifting the blockincident, to forward and rear play of the box body; i a l 5; In ajournal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting the box bodyincluding a pede'stal'brace, an adjustable wedge interposedbetween thebox body and the pedestal, a wedge bolt rotatable for adjust ing thewedge, a ratchet for rotating-"said bolt, a housing mounted on thepedestal brace, a block slidable in said housing, a

pawl carried by the block to coact with the ratchet, an operativeconnection between the box body and said block for shifting the blockincident to forward and rear play of the box body, and a spring bearingbetween the pawl and housing pressing the pawl into engagement with theratchet.

6. In a journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox body, an adjustable wedge interposed between the box body and thepedestal, a wedge bolt rotatable for adjusting the wedge, a ratchet forrotating said bolt, a slide. block, a pawl carried by the block to coactwith the ratchet, a yoke carried by the box body, and a cross rodforming a connection between said yoke and block for shifting the blockincident to forward and rear movement of the box body.

7. In a journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox body, an adjustable wedge interposed between the box body and thepedestal, a wedge bolt rotatable for adjusting the wedge, a ratchet forrotating said bolt, a slide block,'a pawl carried by the block to meetwith the ratchet, a yoke carried by the box body, and a cross rodforming a connection between said yoke and said block for shifting theblock incident to forward and rear movement of the box body, said rodbeing slidable upon the block whereby the rod may shift laterally withre spect to the block with the yoke and box body. 7

' 8. In a journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox body, an adjustable wedge interposed between the box body and thepedestal, a Wedge bolt rotatable for adjusting the wedge, a ratchet forto tating said bolt, a slide block, a pawl carried by the block to coactwith the ratchet, a yoke carried by the box body, and a cross rodforming a connection between said yoke and said block for shifting theblock incident to forward and rear movement of the box body, the yokebeing provided with slots freely receiving said rod whereby the yoke mayshift vertically with respect to said block with the box body.

9. In a journal box, a box body, a pedestal operatively supporting thebox body including a pedestal brace, a wedge interposed between the boxbody and the pedestal and ad justable for taking up forward and rearplay of the box body, and a right and left threaded wedge bolt carriedby the pedestal brace and operatively engaged with the wedge foradjusting the wedge.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature EDWARD W. RAWDON. 1, 8.

